Russell Martin's Game 1-winning homer for Yankees against Orioles should be enough to get him a new deal this offseason

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerRussell Martin hits the game-winning home run in Game 1 against the Orioles.

Video: Star-Ledger writers recap the Yankees ALDS game 2 loss to the OriolesNew York Yankees Andy Pettitte pitch good enough to win but the Baltimore Orioles came up with 3 runs and the Yankees were only able to get 2 as the game 2 victory went to the Orioles in the ALDS. Star-Ledger baseball writers Andy McCullough and Jeff Bradley and columnist Dave D'Alessandro recap the game. Video by WIlliam Perlman/The Star-Ledger

BALTIMORE — Russell Martin probably did not need a game-winning home run in Game 1 of the American League Division Series to earn a new contract with the Yankees.

Martin, the Yankees’ 29-year-old catcher, had a chance to sign a long-term deal with the Yankees last winter. Reportedly, he was offered three years and $20 million, but opted instead to accept a one-year, $7.5 million deal. The takeaway was that Martin was confident that he would have a big 2012 season and convince the Yankees to offer more.

But for the better part of this season, it looked like Martin had made a costly decision. He struggled to get his batting average over .200, and no matter how good his defense was — and manager Joe Girardi always insisted that’s his first concern with his catchers — it did not seem likely that the Yankees would have to pay him that same kind of money.

But down the stretch, and especially on Sunday night, Martin has looked like as important a piece of the Yankee puzzle as any. His home run off Baltimore closer Jim Johnson was not his first important blast of the season.

During the regular season, he had three game-winning homers that came after the eighth inning, including two walk-offs.

“He has been clutch,” Girardi said, adding, “I think Russell has hit the ball extremely well for us for most of the second half, but it took a while for his luck to change.”

Martin, who also played a near-perfect game behind the plate, calling a good game, blocking a number of CC Sabathia sliders in the dirt, and making a spectacular play on a swinging bunt by Lew Ford, talks like a player who’s now brimming with confidence. Martin was solid behind the plate again Monday night in Game 2 of the ALDS, which the Yankees lost, 3-2.

“You either want to be in that situation or you don’t want to be in it,” Martin said of being at the plate with the game on the line. “I love being in that situation. For me, it’s just you go out there and you do your best, and if you get it done, great; if you don’t, then hopefully you get it next time. But I just like being in those situations. I feel like you just concentrate a little bit more, seems like you can kind of slow things down a little bit.”

One of Girardi’s greatest compliments regarding Martin is that he never let his offensive struggles impact his play behind the plate. Obviously, as a former catcher, Girardi knows all too well how a pitching staff responds when they think the catcher is taking his bad at-bats with him behind the plate. Girardi insists a catcher must be defense-first.

Following his big home run, Martin was asked if he got fired up to hit after making the type of defensive play he made to rob Ford of what looked to be a certain single.

“Well, I like to keep them both separate. I’ve been doing that all year, and this year especially was tough because I didn’t have the best offensive season,” Martin said. “But when I’m on defense that’s all that matters to me is taking care of my pitcher, making sure he’s staying in the game and making the right pitches, also the right pitch selection. Any time you can help a team win whether it’s on defense or offense, you’re happy about it.”

When asked how badly he wants to see Martin return to the fold next year, the manager said, “Obviously, you see what guys do and you develop relationships, but I don’t really want to get caught up in anything but trying to win games right now.”